Bringing you the most intriguing angles to all St. Louis Blues stories

Player Spotlight: Blues prospect, Samuel Blais

Player Spotlight

Name: Samuel Blais

Position: Left Wing

Born: June 17, 1996 (Age 19)

Hometown: Montmagny, Quebec, Canada

Height: 6’1

Weight: 185

Photo via: ca.sports.yahoo.com

With the 176th overall pick in the 2014 NHL draft, the St. Louis Blues selected Samuel Blais. Samuel is currently playing for the Charlottetown Islanders of the QMJHL and is putting together a very successful season on a team that is contending for the playoffs. Despite being traded midseason from Victoriaville to Charlottetown, Blais’ production hasn’t skipped a beat. Due to his great play, Blais was named my Janurary prospect of the month.

I recently interviewed Samuel to gather more information on both him and his current season. I asked Samuel ten questions; including both fun and serious questions. Here is the full interview between Samuel Blais and I:

Q: “Who was your favorite NHL player growing up?”

A: “My favorite player was Sidney Crosby.”

Q: “What do you feel is the strongest asset to your game?”

A: “I think it’s my hockey sense and my offensive game.”

Q: “If you could compare yourself to any current NHL player, who would it be?”

A: “I compare myself to Niklas Backstrom from Washington.”

Q: “Is there a nickname that teammates or coaches have given you?”

A: “They call me Samy.”

Q: “Do you have any pre-game routines that you do before every game?”

A: “I try to eat the same thing and be at the rink 2 hours and 15 minutes before the game.”

Q: “What do you think has led to your personal success this season?”

A: “I think I’m more dedicated in my defensive zone and I have been consistent in my offensive game all year so I need to keep going like that..”

Q: “Do you have a favorite celebration after scoring a goal?”

A: “I’m not the type of guy that that cellys, when I score I just celebrate with my teammates.”

Q: “Do you have a favorite pump-up song before a game?”

A: “I don’t have a favorite song, I just listen to the music that the guys put on in the room.”

Q: “What are your goals moving forward, throughout the season?”

A: “I want to have a good end of the season and I want to help my team as best as I can during the playoffs because all we want is to win. I would also like to keep being consistent in my game.”

Q: “What is something you learned during your time in St. Louis during prospect camp over the summer?”

A: “You need to work hard every day on and off the ice because all of the guys are big and fast. It was great to be on the ice with all of those good players.”

As you can tell, even at age 19, “Samy” is a very professional player both on and off the ice. Blais is focused on helping the Islanders not just reach the playoffs, but go far in the playoffs. Blais is the team’s leading scorer and is tied for 13th in the entire QMJHL. In 55 games played, Blais has 29 goals, 42 assists, 71 points, and is a +2 on the season. “Samy” is well on pace to improve his final stats from last season when he tallied 34 goals, 48 assists, 82 points in 61 games played. Improving off of an 82 point season is incredible in any league in the world and will be an impressive acomplishment under Samuel’s belt heading into next season’s training camp. I also interviewed Darcy Cudmore, broadcast host for the Charlottetown Islanders, to get more of an insight of what type of a player Blais is and where he potentially ranks with the Blues. Heres the results to our interview:

Q: “What aspects of Samuel’s game stand out to you?”

A: “Samuel’s ability to be in the right place stood out to me immediately. Take last weekend for example when he had 7 points in 2 home games. 5 goals and 2 assists. Every shift Samuel would find his way to the puck in scoring opportunities and he helped the team to 2 big wins.”

Q: “What type of player would you categorize Samuel?”

A: “Samuel works well down low and his puck control in the offensive zone is incredible. Great on the powerplay.”

Q: “Where do you see Samuel playing next year?”

A: “Samuel has an immense amount of skill and at only 19, I expect Samuel to do big things. If he is not back in Q next year as a 20 year old, some time in the ECHL or even AHL will help him continue to get better and grow.”

Q: “In your opinion, what would you project Samuel to become at the NHL level?”

A: “If [and when] the Blues give Samuel the opportunity I can see him being a 2nd liner for them in the future.”

Darcy Cudmore also added “Islanders fans love Samuel here in Charlottetown and he became a huge part of this hockey team immediately, playing with other NHL prospects Daniel Sprong and Filip Chlapik.”

With a strong end to the season and some extra hard work in the summer, maybe Samuel Blais could make a case for being next season’s Robby Fabbri and earning either a nine game tryout or a roster spot. But as of right now, Blais headlines the list of Blues prospects and is making a strong case to be my prospect of the year.

If you’d like to follow Samuel Blais or Darcy Cudmore on Twitter, you can follow them @blais_19 and @darcycudmore. You can also keep up with his team, the Charlottetown Islanders, as they live tweet every game @IslandersHKY. I’d like to thank you for reading and you can follow me on Twitter @The_STG. For any comments or requested topics, feel free to tweet me anytime and i’ll be sure to respond. Good luck to Samuel Blais and the Islanders as they look to make a name for themselves in the QMJHL playoffs this season. Let’s go Blues!